The organic EL device is a self-luminous device and has been actively studied for their brighter, superior visibility and the ability to display clearer images in comparison with liquid crystal devices.
In 1987, C. W. Tang and colleagues at Eastman Kodak developed a laminated structure device using materials assigned with different roles, realizing practical applications of an organic EL device with organic materials. These researchers laminated an electron-transporting phosphor and a hole-transporting organic substance, and injected both charges into a phosphor layer to cause emission in order to obtain a high luminance of 1,000 cd/m2 or more at a voltage of 10 V or less (refer to Patent Documents 1 and 2, for example).
To date, various improvements have been made for practical applications of the organic EL device. Various roles of the laminated structure are further subdivided to provide an electroluminescence device that includes an anode, a hole injection layer, a hole transport layer, a light emitting layer, an electron transport layer, an electron injection layer, and a cathode successively formed on a substrate, and high efficiency and durability have been achieved by the electroluminescence device (refer to Non-Patent Document 1, for example).
Further, there have been attempts to use triplet excitons for further improvements of luminous efficiency, and the use of a phosphorescence-emitting compound has been examined (refer to Non-Patent Document 2, for example).
Devices that use light emission caused by thermally activated delayed fluorescence (TADF) have also been developed. In 2011, Adachi et al. at Kyushu University, National University Corporation realized 5.3% external quantum efficiency with a device using a thermally activated delayed fluorescent material (refer to Non-Patent Document 3, for example).
The light emitting layer can be also fabricated by doping a charge-transporting compound generally called a host material, with a fluorescent compound, a phosphorescence-emitting compound, or a delayed fluorescent-emitting material. As described in the Non-Patent Document, the selection of organic materials in an organic EL device greatly influences various device characteristics such as efficiency and durability (refer to Non-Patent Document 2, for example).
In an organic EL device, charges injected from both electrodes recombine in a light emitting layer to cause emission. What is important here is how efficiently the hole and electron charges are transferred to the light emitting layer in order to form a device having excellent carrier balance. The probability of hole-electron recombination can be improved by improving the hole injection capability and the electron blocking capability of blocking injected electrons from the cathode, and high luminous efficiency can be obtained by confining excitons generated in the light emitting layer. The role of a hole transport material is therefore important, and there is a need for a hole transport material that has a high hole injection capability, a high hole mobility, a high electron blocking capability, and a high durability to electrons.
Heat resistance and amorphousness of the materials are also important with respect to the lifetime of the device. The materials with low heat resistance cause thermal decomposition even at a low temperature by heat generated during the drive of the device, which leads to the deterioration of the materials. The materials with low amorphousness cause crystallization of a thin film even in a short time and lead to the deterioration of the device. The materials in use are therefore required to have characteristics of high heat resistance and satisfactory amorphousness.
N,N′-diphenyl-N,N′-di(α-naphthyl)benzidine (NPD) and various aromatic amine derivatives are known as the hole transport materials used for the organic EL device (refer to Patent Documents 1 and 2, for example). Although NPD has a desirable hole transport capability, its glass transition point (Tg), which is an index of heat resistance, is as low as 96° C., which causes the degradation of device characteristics by crystallization under a high-temperature condition (refer to Non-Patent Document 4, for example). The aromatic amine derivatives described in the Patent Documents include a compound known to have an excellent hole mobility of 10−3 cm2/Vs or higher (refer to Patent Documents 1 and 2, for example). However, since the compound is insufficient in terms of electron blocking capability, some of the electrons pass through the light emitting layer, and improvements in luminous efficiency cannot be expected. For such a reason, a material with a higher electron blocking capability, a more stable thin-film state and higher heat resistance is needed for higher efficiency. Although an aromatic amine derivative having high durability is reported (refer to Patent Document 3, for example), the derivative is used as a charge transporting material used in an electrophotographic photoconductor, and there is no example of using the derivative in the organic EL device.
Arylamine compounds having a substituted carbazole structure are proposed as compounds improved in the characteristics such as the heat resistance and the hole injection capability (refer to Patent Documents 4 and 5, for example). Further, it is proposed that the hole injection capability can be improved by p-doping materials such as trisbromophenylamine hexachloroantimony, radialene derivatives, and F4-TCNQ into a material commonly used for the hole injection layer or the hole transport layer (refer to Patent Document 6 and Non-Patent Document 5). However, while the devices using these compounds for the hole injection layer or the hole transport layer have been improved in lower driving voltage and heat resistance, luminous efficiency and the like, the improvements are still insufficient. Further lower driving voltage and higher luminous efficiency are therefore needed.
In order to improve characteristics of the organic EL device and to improve the yield of the device production, it has been desired to develop a device having high luminous efficiency, low driving voltage and a long lifetime by using in combination the materials that excel in hole and electron injection/transport capabilities, stability as a thin film and durability, permitting holes and electrons to be highly efficiently recombined together.
Further, in order to improve characteristics of the organic EL device, it has been desired to develop a device that maintains carrier balance and has high efficiency, low driving voltage and a long lifetime by using in combination the materials that excel in hole and electron injection/transport capabilities, stability as a thin film and durability.